At the Ecliptic Space Hotel
by Cowgirl Of Egypt
Summary: Spoilers for S3 E4 and E5 What was in the ship Jack teleported into? Rating possibly a little high. Post Children of Earth: Day Five


**Warnings: Slash, Spoilers for Season 3 Episodes 4 and 5 **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood otherwise most of Series Three would be much different.**

When Jack was teleported onto the spaceship he did not expect it to have a front desk, soft carpet or a sign announcing it as the _Ecliptic Space Hotel._ Nor did he expect a short blue skinned humanoid alien to walk smartly over to him and offer him a drink. He politely declined.

"Would you like to book a room sir?" the alien asked. There was a stab of pain in Jack's heart. Being addressed as sir still hurt, it was like being torn apart from the inside. He nodded reluctantly. If this was a hotel then it wouldn't keep him onboard unless he booked a room.

"Yes please…" The alien nodded and gave him a key. Jack was startled but took it anyway. Didn't he need to pay? He glanced at the _Ecliptic Space Hotel _sign once again and saw the line of smaller text under the name. _Free support for those in mourning and broken. _Jack felt a lump in his throat; he suddenly had a longing to go home but home didn't exist for him anymore. Home was Ianto. Ianto was dead.

"Room 6 sir, down the corridor, opposite the blue door. I promise Mr Harkness in room 7 won't disturb you sir. He never leaves; he hasn't left that room since he arrived," the alien informed him, pointing to a nearby corridor. Jack started.

"Mr Harkness?" he repeated.

"Yes sir, now what is your name so we can keep a record?"

"Jack…Harkness" Jack told him hesitantly. The alien frowned at him.

"Your _own _name. Not another customer's name," The alien ordered disapprovingly. Jack gulped.

"James Harper," he said quickly. The alien smiled and wrote his "name" on a clipboard.

"Thank you Mr Harper," the alien replied "And…I'm sorry about your loss." Jack sighed and began to walk towards his room when he had a sudden thought.

"Excuse me…" he said, turning back to the alien "Where is room 7 exactly? I think that I know who, I mean, I think it's my friend who is staying there." Jack hoped his lie was convincing. It didn't sound convincing to his own ears.

"The blue door I told you about," the alien told him, not even looking his way. Jack forced a smile.

"Thank you." Without thinking his actions through Jack hurried down the corridor to the room with the blue door. The door looked forbidding but that was nothing next to the mournful music that drifted through the crack under it.

_Even though I'm the sacrifice,  
You won't try for me, not now.  
Though I'd die to know you love me,  
I'm all alone.  
Isn't someone missing me?_

_And if I bleed, I'll bleed,  
Knowing you don't care.  
And if I sleep just to dream of you  
I'll wake without you there,  
Isn't something missing?  
Isn't something..._

Jack took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The music stopped suddenly and a dull robotic voice took its place. "Come in," the voice called. It chilled Jack to the core and as he opened the door and stepped inside he had the urge to turn back and run. Run as far as he could. The speaker was hidden behind a blue curtain across the centre of the room, his dark shadow stretched along it in contrast with the light blue cotton.

"Hello…" Jack greeted, unsure what to say.

"You can't be one of the staff," the dull voice stated "You're too tall."

"No, I'm not one of the staff. I'm another customer," Jack replied quietly

"Why are you here?"

"I want to know who you are," Jack said uncertainly.

"I am Jack Harkness."

"No, you're not, your shadow tells me you're the wrong build," Jack replied confidently.

"Observant," the other man commented "You know Jack Harkness?"

"Yes," Jack told him.

"Does he miss me?" the hidden man's voice change just slightly for a second, showing that the man could feel some emotion.

"I don't know who you are," Jack said, confused slightly.

"I don't know who you are either but I can guess."

"Who am I then?" Jack challenged.

"You call yourself Jack Harkness but you are not him. You stole the name."

"How do you know that?" Jack asked curiously.

"I know everything. Plus I'd recognise that voice anywhere. Your voice was the last I heard before I died for the first time. You brought me back."

"I've never brought anyone back to life. Ever," Jack argued.

"Not consciously but you still did. I woke up again 1 day after I died. You were already travelling. UNIT helped me to get here 5 months ago. I made them promise not to tell you I was alive again. Martha still hates me for it." Jack stared at the curtain in shock. It couldn't be him…could it?

"The gas only killed me for a second Jack; did you really think I would give in?" the voice was no longer a robotic monotone but a soft welsh accent and Jack felt tears in his eyes.

"Ianto…" he breathed. The curtain fell back and Ianto stepped in front of him sadly, in a fresh clean suit – red shirt, black tie, perfectly alive. "How?" Jack asked.

"You didn't die because of the gas; you gave your life force to me. It forced me back to life…the gas I had breathed in changed. You threw me into immortality Jack. I can't-" Jack kissed him hard, showing every drop of despair he had felt when he thought Ianto was dead, every bit of sadness and remorse and, most importantly, love he had felt. It was a full minute before either of them pulled away and it was Ianto who broke the kiss.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, eyes shining with happiness.

"I'm leaving Jack." The light in Jack's eyes dimmed.

"W-where to?"

"I don't know," Ianto replied "But I can't stay with you if you can't tell me what I want to hear and let it be the truth." He pulled away from the older man quickly.

"What do you want to hear?" Jack whispered, his just mended heart breaking once more.

"If you don't know I can't help you."

"Is this about love?" Jack asked.

"I can't tell you," Ianto told him, going to leave the room. Jack caught his arm, Ianto tried to pull away from him but Jack wouldn't let go.

"I can't lose you, not again, so listen to me. If this is about love then I do love you," Jack said fiercely "It's just difficult to explain…I never thought I could tell you because I knew one day you were going to die and I couldn't tell you when you were dying because it already hurt too much." Ianto stopped pulling against him and smiled.

"That was all I needed to hear," he replied "And you can't lose me ever again Jack. Like I said, you threw me into immortality. I can't die." Jack grinned for the first time in 6 months.

"Does this mean that you and I are together again?" he asked

"I got the impression that we were. Yes."

"We better get back to Earth then…we've got a very pregnant Gwen to mess with." Ianto smiled warmly at Jack.

"First, however…" he pulled Jack into a burning kiss "Why don't you show me just how much you missed me?"


End file.
